Odisha requests NOC to operationalize Amarda airstrip

BHUBANESWAR: The Government of Odisha has requested that the Ministry of Defence, Government of India order the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the RCS-UDAN to operationalise the Amarda Road airstrip near Rasagobindapur in Mayurbhanj district. Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, has addressed a letter to Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar in this respect.

According to Mahapatra’s letter, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has added the Bhubaneswar-Amarda Road as a special RCS route under UDAN 4.1 after the state government requested it, and Gsec Monarch has been chosen as the airline operator for the route, which will have seven flights per week and a nine-seater aircraft. The Government of Odisha had asked DRDO’s permission to use the airfield for commercial aviation operations under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN on many occasions. However, he noted that no response has been received to date, resulting in a deadlock in flight operations.

Mahapatra explained the significance of the airport, saying that the northern region of Odisha lacks any kind of air connectivity and that the establishment of the Amarda Road airstrip is extremely important for the surrounding areas. He also stated that it will improve tourism connectivity to important locations such as Simlipal National Park, Kuldiha Sanctuary, Chandipur and Talsari sea beaches, as well as facilitate economic growth through trade, create jobs, increase tax revenues, and foster community relations with neighbouring states and communities.

In the wider public interest, the Chief Secretary requested that the Defence Secretary look into the problem and send required directions to DRDO for the state government’s use of the Amarda Road airfield for RCS-UDAN flight operations. He hoped that the DRDO would issue the NOC as soon as possible. The airstrip was created during World War II and is approximately 225 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, the state capital. According to authorities, the Defence Ministry has jurisdiction over a 1,000-acre plot of land in the Rasagobindapur block, hence the NOC is required. The Amarda Road airstrip, once converted to an airport, will serve people mostly from north Odisha, south Bengal, and east Jharkhand, according to reports.